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August 2001 The Beginning of Something Beautiful by Gill Cheshire ...    Before I leap into my journal, let me introduce myself and my "other haIf". My name is Gill, I'm 36 and am a Personal Assistant and Interior Designer. Andy is 35 and is a Photographer and Camera Specialist. Here is our story.    Until meeting Andy, I truly believed that I would never find "Mr Right". For over the past ten years or so I have wasted time staying in a relationship that I was unhappy in for the sake of not being on my own in my 30's. Mistake Number One!    Back in November last year, I was made redundant from a company I had only been working in for three months. With the prospect of Christmas coming up, the chances of finding a job that paid the money I had been used to was slim. A local department store was recruiting for Christmas temporaries, so I applied, as this would tie me over until the New Year. I had never worked in retail before, but for two months it didn't really matter. So I turned up for work in the allocated uniform, looking like a sack of potatoes, thinking no one would be interested in me looking like this. How wrong I was. A few weeks went by and another colleague in the same department chatted me up. He eventually plucked up the courage to ask if I wanted to go out, to which I obviously replied "yes" (being desperate at 35!). ...    From that day we had what I can only describe as a whirlwind romance. We sneaked opportunities to catch up with one another in the store when no one was looking and met for lunch outside the building without anyone knowing. The whole thing was kept a secret from our colleagues. Early on in the relationship both of us realised we had a great rapour and Andy said he would love to marry me. I asked if he was serious and he confirmed he was — I felt entirely the same. Andy would have got engaged there and then, but I didn't think the kitchen was the best place. Instead, I said we should wait and do something memorable.    Andy has always wanted to go to New York, so we booked up to go over the Valentine's week of this year. We planned a five day visit and prepared for the trip by reading up all the travel books. A New Yorker friend of mine gave us some other travel tips of where to go and what to eat. We planned our trip meticulously ensuring we took in as many of the sights and art galleries as humanly possible in 5 days. On Valentine's Day, we went over to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island — our return culminated in a helicopter ride over Manhattan.    Where else could someone propose? As we flew over the Statue of Liberty with Manhattan in front of us, Andy popped the question and presented me with a beautiful yellow sapphire and diamond cluster engagement ring. ...    We rounded off the day with dinner at the Windows on the World restaurant at the top of the World Trade Centre. Joseph, who was the most knowledgeable and attentive waiter you could ever want, served us. The whole evening was absolutely fantastic, the food superb and the wines recommended by Joseph were perfect. Now we will always look back on where we got engaged with the fondest of memories, much better than by the kitchen sink! Before leaving New York, we purchased diamond wedding bands to complete our trip to the Big Apple.    Upon returning home, Andy didn't tell his colleagues of his impending nuptials. Instead, he chose to announce our engagement in his company in-house magazine. Months on, people are still congratulating him. Most were extremely shocked because they didn't know he was seeing anyone — even more so when they discovered it was me! Everyone has been absolutely delighted at our news.    Now it was time to get down to the nitty gritty and decide on a date and venue. Both being romantics we wanted to get married in true "Madonna" style. Having been married once before I am unable to marry in church so an alternative was sought. Here, in the UK, most people marry in church or a registry office (one thing I didn't want to do). We did consider getting married abroad, but most of our friends wouldn't be able to afford to go and we wanted them to be there. Recently, the law changed so that we are able to have a civil ceremony outside of the registry office, in a country house, castle or another suitable location, providing they have been registered to do so. ...    Our choice was an idyllic Castle in Scotland, but the logistics of flying everyone up there was enormous. Besides, the marriage laws in Scotland differ from those of England. We definitely wanted to get married in a castle and so a search ensued.    In my next journal, I will take you on a journey into choosing the venue and planning for our ideal wedding day.